The present invention relates to a photographic processor for processing silver halide photographic light sensitive materials and a remote control systems for control a processor for silver halide photographic materials, and in particular to a processor for silver halide photographic materials, in which corrections for processing solutions are made in accordance with information of the state of the processing solution and a remote control system of the processor.
The desire for seeing picture-taken photographs as soon as possible or for getting finished photographs as promptly as possible after dropping off exposed photographic film to be processed have recently increased the number of minilabs. In response thereto, request for rapid access of silver halide photographic materials [hereinafter, also denoted as simply as photographic material(s)] has increased and photographic processing at relatively high temperature using automatic processors has become popular.
From the trend of global environmental protection, The London Agreement was concluded and ocean disposal of photographic processing effluents was prohibited in Japan from Jan. 1, 1996. In response thereto, efforts to reduce the processing effluent to the limit have been made in the photographic art. To lower the replenishing rate of a replenisher solution, for example, techniques for minimizing processing effluent amounts have come into practical use, including the use of a replenishing solution at a concentration as high as possible and the use of solid processing compositions.
However, processing at a relatively low replenishing rate results in carrying-out of the processing solution by the photographic material and concentration due to evaporation of the processing solution under high temperature as well as accumulation of ingredients leached out from photographic materials, produced problems, such as increased chemical activity of the processing solution rendering consistent desired processing performance infeasible, precipitation of coagulums due to concentration and deteriorated storage stability of the processing solution. Accordingly, to achieve stable processing performance, there are known controlling conditions of the processing solution, employing control parameters such as the temperature, pH, liquid-level position, ingredient concentration and specific gravity of the processing solution.
There is also known a technique for preventing concentration of a processing solution, in which water is replenished based on measurement of the specific gravity of the processing solution. An attempt to overcome such problems as delayed detection of the specific gravity causing excessive dilution at the time of adding replenishing water was disclosed in JP-A No. 1-158433 (hereinafter, the term, JP-A means an examined, published Japanese Patent Application), in which a processing solution is taken from a part of the circulation pass to determine the solution density by means of a liquid densitometer and water containing a preservative is supplied in accordance with the resultant output.
JP-A No. 1-281446 discloses an automatic processor provided with a means for supplying a replenishing solution, in which water is automatically replenished based on specific gravity information of the processing solution; JP-A No. 4-3058 discloses a technique, in which the density of the washing water or the stabilizing solution in the processing space connecting divided plural chambers are determined and supply of washing water or stabilizing solution is controlled based on the determined density values. Furthermore, JP-A No. 10-198006 discloses a technique, in which in accordance with variation in density of the developing and/or fixing tanks, water is replenished to the tanks.
The techniques taught in these disclosures, however, concern replenishing water corresponding to insufficient volume on the basis of an increased density, caused by concentration of the processing solution. As a result, it was proved to produce problems that in cases when excess water is replenished, for example, due to failure in the supply control of the water-supplying pump, it results in excessive dilution without correction thereof, or alternatively the extent of dilution is further magnified.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a photographic processor for silver halide photographic materials, in which optimum correction is feasible and processability (such as fixing ability, desilvering ability, prevention of leuco dye formation and the like), even when the water replenishing amount is excessively increased due to failure of supply control of a liquid-supplying pump or when the water-evaporation is less than the assumed value, resulting in excessive dilution.
It is an object of the invention to provide a remote control system for controlling the foregoing processor.
The foregoing object of the invention is accomplished by the following constitution:
1. A photographic processor for processing a silver halide photographic material, comprising at least one processing tank containing a processing solution, a means for supplying a replenisher to the processing tank in proportion to the amount of the processed photographic material and a means for supplying water to the processing tank, wherein the processor further comprises a correction means for correcting a rate of supplying the replenisher or water to the processing tank based on measurement data of the specific gravity or the pH of the processing solution;
2. A remote control system for controlling a photographic processor for a silver halide photographic material, wherein the photographic processor is connected to a host computer through a communication means so that measurement data of a specific gravity or pH of a processing solution contained in at least one processing tank of the processor is transmitted to the host computer, the transmitted data is subjected to calculation to obtain a calculation result, the calculation result being transmitted to the photographic processor through the communication means to control supply of a replenisher or water to the processing tank; the remote control system comprising:
a means for measuring a specific gravity or a pH of the processing solution, and
a control means for controlling a supplying rate of the replenisher or water to the processing tank.